Deiveson Figueiredo not only expects to defend his flyweight title at UFC 263 but to do so in a violent fashion.
Figueiredo is set to rematch Brandon Moreno in Arizona on June 12. The two first met back in the main event of UFC 256 at the UFC Apex. Both men had quick wins at UFC 255 in November, and they agreed to a quick turnaround and fought to a draw. Now, ahead of the rematch, Figueiredo says he’s training for a quick fight as he expects to KO Moreno early.
“I am training to do a quick fight. I’m going to knock this guy out in the first or second round. I was not 100% in the first fight. He’s been saying that I have no potential, that I don’t have a heavy hand,” Figueiredo said to AG Fight. “I will show that he is wrong about what he thinks about me. I am a guy that the opponent manages to arouse ire in me when he starts talking trash. I called my team, we had a meeting and we are creating something inevitable. I want to show that I am the real owner of the belt.”
Why Figueiredo is expecting a better performance is simple. He says the quick turnaround and cutting weight twice in such a short period of time hurt him. With these hurdles out of the way, the champ says he’s preparing to finish Moreno inside two rounds.
“I had three months to prepare for the fight against Moreno, something I didn’t have in the first one. It was only 20 days. You can be sure that I will fight 100% and this guy lasts less than two rounds with me,” Figueiredo said. “I am very confident, I trust the work of my team and I am prepared to fight with it. He has sharp boxing, Mexican likes boxing. I’m good at jiu-jitsu, I’m a black belt. I’m also a striker, so I have more game than him. In any area, you can be sure that I will be prepared in the second fight.”
Before the draw to Moreno, Figueiredo submitted Alex Perez to defend his belt for the first time after back-to-back wins over Joseph Benavidez. His lone loss in the UFC came by decision to Jussier Formiga.
Do you think Deiveson Figueiredo will KO Brandon Moreno?
